PALEO NUTRITION

When people hear the word "diet" they
immediately cringe. It makes them think about what they can't have
rather than what they can. How many "diets" have you tried in the
past? How many "diets" have worked for you in the past? How many
"diets" have you stuck with? More often than not, the answer is
none!

"Diet" typically implies a temporary change in eating habits.
The difference with eating Paleo is that you are committing to a
life of feeling better, looking better and performing better. By
getting rid of the "anti-nutrients" in a typical diet, and
increasing the nutrient dense foods, this will happen. Research
from many scientific disiplines indicate the root of degenerative
diseases such as obesity, infertility, cancer and diabetes is a
result of our modern diet full of sugar, processed food and
transfat.

This isn't a "fad." Paleo nutrition is simply us trying to
emulate what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. In fact this is how we
were made to eat!

The Who

This is for anyone and everyone. If your goal is to lose weight,
gain weight, maintain weight... If your goal is to improve athletic
performance, feel better, increase energy... If you have health
concerns, including, but not limited to diabetes, autoimmune
diseases, heart disease, migraines... If you are just a regular
Jack or Jill wanting to take care of the one body you are given...
then Paleo nutrition is a direction worth exploring. Please
take some time to read these testimonials. Nothing better to help your
realize this works than by asking the people that have tried it,
acheived it, live it!

The When

There is no better time than now. Start today! Why wait? Give
yourself 30 days of a strict paleo diet and see how you look, feel,
and perform. If you're not satisfied then go back to your old
habits. The testimonials from so many people who have
gone this route, prove it to be successful.

The How

Step 1: Rid your house of
the "junk." This is not a suggestion to waste food, this is a
suggestion to kill two birds with one stone. Take all the "no" food
(grains, dairy, legumes, sugars) to a local shelter or another
cheritable organization for donation. You have then helped others
while helping yourself.

Step 2: Stock up! Use
this grocery list to pick from what you like to
eat. Head the store and stock your house with these items. Don't
let yourself run out…that's asking for a disaster! Shopping at
local farmer's markets is always a great idea and you know you will
then have seasonal produce and quality meat sources.

Step 3: Food
Prep. Food Prep. At first it may seem a bit overwhelming to
have to actually cook all of your food (as opposed to pouring it
out of a box or heating it in the microwave). Key to overcoming
this stress is to prepare a lot at once. When you cut veggies, cut
a bunch up (for stir fry, salad, eggs, or just snacks). When you
cook meat, make extra. While the grill/oven/stove is on, cook
enough meat for several days. Hard boil a bunch of eggs. Leftovers
make transitioning into a Paleo lifestyle much easier in the
beginning (and may be the way you do it forever). We're a society
of "go, go go"…so to have food ready at our fingertips is huge.
Just make sure it's healthy food!

Step 4: Be Creative. As
you get more comfortable with this lifestyle, start to be
creative. There are several books, websites, etc. that offer
amazing dishes that are fairly simple to prepare. Also, just
changing spices, types of veggies, and types of meat in your dishes
will bring the meal a whole new taste.

The Why

Because it works! You will be healthier inside and out. Your
biomarkers will be better, you will perform better, you will
function better, you will reduce the risk of disease and your butt
will look better in your jeans. For most people, that is enough.
But for those of you that want to know more of a scientific
explanation, take time to read the following book The Paleo
Solution by Robb Wolf (link to purchase with amazon and barnes and
noble).

The following link to papers/abstracts on evidence that the
paleo diet works.
Remember, this isn't a "fad"…this is science.

Diabetes

Diabetes cases are growing exponentially in our country. This paper compares the approach with The Mediterranean Diet and The Paleo Diet toward insulin resistant Type 2 diabetes. The result – The Paleo Diet reversed signs and symptoms while there was little to no change with the Mediterranean Diet. Ironic since the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be THE diet to follow. http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/DiabetesStudy.html

Autoimmunity

Our immune system is responsible for protecting us from infections by recognizing the invader, attacking it and clearing the it from the body. With autoimmunity, the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissue as that foreign invader. Research is proving that there is a relation between eating Neolithic foods (grains, dairy, and legumes) and autoimmune diseases including, but not limited to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis. Elements of these, and so many more autoimmune diseases, are likely at play when it comes to conditions like infertility and several types of cancers. Interesting enough, leaky gut and the autoimmune response, or damage to the gut lining allowing undigested food into the body, is a common cause between all of these supposedly unrelated conditions. This video by Loran Cordain explains how this all works in regards to Multiple Sclerosis. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59iwc_the-paleo-diet-and-multiple-scleros_lifestyle

Emulating a Paleolithic diet is still new to most people in the
modern day.

Newness typically results in biased preconceived notions that
result in skepticism. Debate is a good thing in that is requires
more research and education and in this case has given more
opportunity for the Paleo Diet to prove itself as the healthiest
way of eating. Some of the most common arguments include that our
Paleolithic ancestors lived shorter lives, questioning of genetic
change since agriculture, the heterogeneity of ancestral
environments, and innate human adaptability. It's your
responsibility to educate yourself and to dive in and try it. Give
it a 30 day trial period and if you don't look, feel or perform
positively, then you can go back to your old ways.

Here are a few explanations of common arguments.

Diabetes

Diabetes cases are growing exponentially in our country. This paper compares the approach with The Mediterranean Diet and The Paleo Diet toward insulin resistant Type 2 diabetes. The result – The Paleo Diet reversed signs and symptoms while there was little to no change with the Mediterranean Diet. Ironic since the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be THE diet to follow. http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/DiabetesStudy.html

Autoimmunity

Our immune system is responsible for protecting us from infections by recognizing the invader, attacking it and clearing the it from the body. With autoimmunity, the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissue as that foreign invader. Research is proving that there is a relation between eating Neolithic foods (grains, dairy, and legumes) and autoimmune diseases including, but not limited to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis. Elements of these, and so many more autoimmune diseases, are likely at play when it comes to conditions like infertility and several types of cancers. Interesting enough, leaky gut and the autoimmune response, or damage to the gut lining allowing undigested food into the body, is a common cause between all of these supposedly unrelated conditions. This video by Loran Cordain explains how this all works in regards to Multiple Sclerosis. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59iwc_the-paleo-diet-and-multiple-scleros_lifestyle

Professor Loran Cordain provides more explanations for counter
arguments
here. For those of you that still may not be totally convinced
or just want more science, check out a list of The Paleo Diet
Published Research.

BLOG FEED

A YEAR OF UNPLANNED SPECTATING

LEADVILLE OR BUST!

PUBLISHED ON JULY 15, 2013 BY JENLABAW

Unprepared, nervous as heck but feeling so lucky to have the
opportunity I have to ride The Leadville 100 bike race on August
10th, 2013, I am asking for your help in supporting my efforts to
raise money for First Descents. This organization fundraises
to give young adults fighting and surviving cancer the opportunity
to participate in amazing outdoor adventures. Thank you in
advance for your support.

MOVING FORWARD

PUBLISHED ON JUNE 06, 2013 BY JENLABAW

Being at an event, with all your friends competing and you
having to spectate is much harder than I would have expected.
The NorCal Regionals weekend was full of emotional ups and downs
for me but ended in closure/full acceptance of my injury and ready
to charge ahead.